The precious materials constituting this small gospel book were assembled in several stages. The manuscript was already a hundred years old when Bernward of Hildesheim commissioned a new cover, which likely included the tenthcentury Byzantine ivory we see at the center. The bejeweled frame is a twelfth-century addition, probably in honor of Bernward’s canonization. With the bold monogram on the back cover, Bernward asserts his status as owner and patron.